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Stephan Steinlein

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stephan Steinlein
Steinlein in 2017
Ambassador of Germany to France
Incumbent
Assumed office
22 September 2023
PresidentFrank-Walter Steinmeier
Preceded byHans-Dieter Lucas
Ambassador of Germany to Monaco
Incumbent
Assumed office
11 April 2024
PresidentFrank-Walter Steinmeier
Preceded byHans-Dieter Lucas
Head of the Federal President Office
In office
19 March 2017 – 18 March 2022
PresidentFrank-Walter Steinmeier
Preceded byDavid Gill
Succeeded byDörte Dinger [de]
State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office
In office
23 January 2014 – 27 January 2017
Serving with Markus Ederer [de]
Preceded byEmily Haber
Succeeded byWalter J. Lindner
Ambassador of East Germany to France
In office
4 July 1990 – 31 August 1990
Prime MinisterLothar de Maizière
Preceded byAlfred Marter [de]
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Personal details
Born (1961-05-03) May 3, 1961 (age 65)
Finsterwalde, East Germany
PartySPD
SpouseFrançoise Doussin-Steinlein
Children4
EducationEvangelisches Sprachenkonvikt [de]

Stephan Steinlein (born 3 May 1961) is a German diplomat and theologian who is currently the ambassador of Germany to France, in service since 2023. He had a brief stint in the East German diplomatic service as its ambassador to France for a few months until it was reunified with West Germany. He joined unified Germany's foreign ministry, where he became a protégé of Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He served as Steinmeier's bureaucratic lieutenant during his time in the chancellery, foreign ministry, and eventually as president. A theologian by education, Steinlein is married and has four children.

Early life and theological education

[edit]

Steinlein was born on 3 May 1961 in Finsterwalde, part of then East Germany,[1] with three siblings.[2] His father, a Protestant superintendent at his birthplace, was a staunch critic of the East German government.[3] Steinlein and his family moved to Nauen in 1970 following his father's appointment as a superintendent for the locality.[2] Due to his religious background, vocational education was his only way of acquiring the abitur,[4] and as such he became an apprentice at the steel and rolling mill in Hennigsdorf.[3] He became a crane operator for the mill and spent most of his time reading books while working.[4]

Steinlein's father's theological background, as well as refusal to undertake military service, barred him from attending state colleges. Following his father's footsteps in theology, Steinlein opted for the Evangelisches Sprachenkonvikt, a theological high school in East Berlin.[3] He studied there from 1980 to 1987.[2] Theological institutions were the few places which retained independence from political obedience to the regime.[3] Steinlein and his colleagues discussed about democracy and the future of East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall.[5] Steinlein also met with future party comrades Markus Meckel, Martin Gutzeit, Hans Misselwitz, and Richard Schröder[3] and maintained relations with the Polish Solidarity trade union.[4]

After undergoing practical ecclesiastical training for two years from 1987, in 1989 he was ordained as vicar. He then pursued his doctorate under the supervision of Wolfgang Ullmann, who would go on to become a non-portfolio minister in East Germany's last cabinet. Ullmann helped him[4] to secure a scholarship from the World Council of Churches to pursue a master's degree in Strasbourg.[5][6] Steinlein learned French in Strasbourg and met Françoise Doussin, who became his wife.[6]

Diplomatic and government career

[edit]

Ambassador of East Germany to France

[edit]
Steinlein's identity card as an East German diplomat, 1990

Steinlein was in Strasbourg when news of the Fall of the Berlin Wall came about. He returned to East Germany following the 1990 East German general election, and went to the foreign ministry to find a job for his partner. There, Steinlein met with his classmate Hans Misselwitz, who had become the ministry's state secretary—second-in-command—and instead of a job offer for his wife, he himself was offered a post as ambassador to France. At the same time, his doctoral advisor Wolfgang Ullman offered him to manage his parliamentary office.[7] He accepted the ambassadorial offer after he and Françoise went for a walk on Lützowstraße. Steinlein, who was chosen for the post over two other theologian candidates, believed that his fluent French and the trust he built with the foreign ministry's new leadership secured his selection. Before departing for France, Steinlein was given his own office in the foreign ministry headquarters, and had a dinner with the French ambassador, who asked him question of sorts.[5][6]

Official letter conferring Steinlein the diplomatic rank of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, signed by Sabine Bergmann-Pohl as East Germany's head of state on 18 July 1990.

Steinlein was appointed on 13 June 1990,[8] and his appointment was approved by the French government on 4 July 1990. Being only 29 years old, Steinlein described himself as "a complete greenhorn in diplomacy" at the time of his appointment. He ran the embassy with skeleton staff, as most of the embassy's staff at that time were already recruited by international institutions based in Paris.[3] Steinlein's main objective as ambassador was to oversee the embassy's eventual closure, which was to be done in conjunction with the reunification treaty.[5] Steinlein sifted through East Germany's assets in Germany, including intangible ones such as sister cities and commercial chambers, and decided which ones to be preserved and brought into unified Germany.[4] He also dismissed political officers who were identified as Stasi agents infiltrating the embassy's system.[5]

Steinlein was planned to have presented his letters of credence to president François Mitterrand in September,[9] but due to the brevity of his tenure he never presented his credentials; as such, he never had the chance to meet any French officials.[4] He called upon the chargé d'affaires of the West German embassy, Otto Raban Heinichen [de], where the two discussed possibilities of cooperation in light of the incoming unification process. Heinichen described Steinlein from the encounter as having a "youthful but intelligent, mentally agile, and deeply committed" persona. Steinlein eventually met with ambassador Franz Pfeffer [de], who had just returned from leave, on 28 August and informed him that he had just received his letter of recall on the same day, which took effect on 31 August.[9] Steinlein's then expressed interest in continuing his diplomatic career,[5] to which Pfeffer recommended him to apply for attaché training (Attachéausbildung) in the German Federal Foreign Office.[10]

Steinmeier's confidant

[edit]

Steinlein was admitted as part of the 46th cohort of the foreign office's training program[10] and its first from unified Germany.[6] Upon completing his two-year diplomatic training in 1993, he worked in the Central and Eastern Europe department of the office for a year before being posted to the embassy in Warsaw as a press officer.[1] Returning from Warsaw in 1997, he was appointed to the same job for the federal foreign office[1] and was one of its spokesperson.[11]

Following the appointment of Frank-Walter Steinmeier as Head of the Federal Chancellery of Germany, Steinlein was appointed as his press secretary on the recommendation of a Der Spiegel journalist. Steinlein remained in proximity with Steinmeier for the next two decade as his protégé. He became Steinmeier's chief of staff by 2002 and retained the position when Steinmeier was named as foreign minister in 2005.[a] Steinlein joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 2003, amidst the mass defection shortly after Chancellor Gerhard Schröder introduced the Agenda 2010.[6]

After spokesperson to chancellor Angela Merkel Thomas Steg temporarily left his duties from mid-July 2009 up until the elections in September, Steinlein was nominated as his provisional replacement, but was rejected by Merkel.[12] Steinmeier became the Social Democratic Party's parliamentary leader after it was defeated in the elections, and Steinlein was entrusted to manage his office.[1] In an article published around the time of the election, Hajo Schumacher [de] of the Berliner Morgenpost described Steinlein as "the phantom" within Steinmeier's inner circle.[13] Daniel Friedrich Sturm, writing for Die Welt, argued that Steinlein was too similar in character with Steinmeier due to his diplomatic background, and that Steinmeier needs a rowdy partner that could "balance his strengths and weaknesses".[14]

Steinlein (second from left) accompanying Steinmeier during his meeting with Ukrainian politician Vitali Klitschko, 2014

Steinmeier became the foreign minister following the 2013 elections and appointed Steinlein as one of the two state secretaries (staatssekretär) in the Foreign Office, officially assuming duties on 23 January 2014.[15][16] Daniel Friedrich Sturm stated that Steinlein garnered "an excellent reputation" in the Foreign Office[17] as a "professional, reliable technocrat".[14] After several German state officials were revealed spying for the United States early in his term,[18] Steinlein summoned the U.S. ambassador in Germany John B. Emerson and urged him to clear up the case immediately.[19] He also played a background role in implementing Agenda 2010, the deployment of the Bundeswehr in Afghanistan, and reviewing the Foreign Office's reform.[14]

Steinmeier was selected by the governing parties CDU/CSU and the Social Democratic Party—two biggest parties in German's Federal Convention that would elect its president—as its candidate in the 2017 presidential election. With the move being tantamount to election, Stephan Steinlein's name had already circulated in January as the state secretary of the Office of the Federal President (Bundespräsidialamt), responsible for managing Steinmeier's office.[20] By 25 that month, Steinmeier handed over his leadership of the Foreign Office to Sigmar Gabriel, while Steinlein became the outgoing state secretary, with the-then ambassador to South Africa Walter J. Lindner as his successor in waiting.[21] After Steinmeier was elected by the federal convention as president in a landslide victory in February, Steinmeier was sworn in on 19 March 2017[22][23] and Steinlein took leadership of the federal president's office on the same day with an official letter of appointment (ernennungsurkunde).[24] Steinlein is responsible for, among others, setting up priorities for Steinmeier's presidency.[14] Steinlein was awarded the officer class of France's Legion of Honour by secretary of state Clément Beaune during his visit to Berlin in January 2022,[25] and by March 2022 was replaced by head of Steinmeier's personal office Dörte Dinger [de].[26]

After almost two decades of service as Steinmeier's aide, Steinmeier moved to Switzerland, where he worked as a researcher in residence at the University of St. Gallen and advised the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva on diplomatic matters.[27]

Ambassador of Germany to France

[edit]
Stephan Steinlein with Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel Beauharnais, 2023

In April 2023, Steinlein was nominated by Steinmeier as ambassador to France.[28] He was formally announced for the post in late July 2023,[29] replacing Hans-Dieter Lucas who was reassigned as ambassador to Italy.[30][31] He officially took up his post on 7 August,[32][33][34] becoming the only person to become an ambassador in both East Germany and Germany.[4][29] He presented his credentials to President of France Emmanuel Macron on 22 September 2023.[35] Steinlein, who is also accredited to Monaco, presented his credentials to Prince Albert II on 11 April 2024.[36][37]

Personal life

[edit]

Married to Françoise Doussin, Steinlein shared a family of four children, three of whom he fathered. During Steinlein's diplomatic stint, Doussin taught French for diplomats in the Foreign Office.[4]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ His official title as Steinmeier's chief of staff in the foreign office was Head of the Executive Staff and Head of the Minister's Office (Leiter des Leitungsstabes und Leiter des Ministerbüros).

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 "Stephan Steinlein: Staatssekretär des Auswärtigen Amts" [Stephan Steinlein: State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office] (in German). Auswärtiges Amt. 18 October 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Stephan Steinlein". Munzinger-Archiv (in German). Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sturm, Daniel Friedrich (21 March 2017). "Stephan Steinlein: Der Mann hinter Steinmeier" [Stephan Steinlein: The man behind Steinmeier]. Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Straßenburg, Romy (28 May 2024). "Er war der letzte DDR-Botschafter in Paris – heute vertritt er die BRD in Frankreich" [He was the last GDR ambassador in Paris – today he represents the FRG in France]. Der Freitag (in German). Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Barotte, Nicolas (9 November 2014). "Stephan Steinlein: «J'ai fermé l'ambassade de la RDA à Paris»" [Stephan Steinlein: "I closed the GDR embassy in Paris"]. Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Hoffer, Rewert (7 August 2023). "Stephan Steinlein wird neuer deutscher Botschafter in Paris. Den Posten bekleidete er schon einmal – als Vertreter der DDR" [Stephan Steinlein becomes the new German ambassador in Paris. He already held the post once – as a representative of the GDR]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  7. ↑ Schayan, Janet (19 June 2015). "A life in two worlds". deutschland.de. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
  8. ↑ "Aufnahme Diplomatische Beziehungen Data" [Establishment of diplomatic relations data]. Germany Diplomatic Archives. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  9. 1 2 Möller, Horst; Pautsch, Ilse Dorothee; Schöllgen, Gregor; Wentker, Hermann; Wirsching, Andreas, eds. (2015-08-19). Die Einheit (in German). Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. pp. 630–633. doi:10.13109/9783666300769. ISBN 978-3-525-30076-3.
  10. 1 2 "Der letzte DDR-Botschafter in Paris". Auswärtiges Amt. 4 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  11. ↑ Hughes, C. (June 2, 1999). "Kosovo peace efforts stall, mission delayed". The Atlanta Journal. p. A1. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  12. ↑ Reinecke, S. (July 7, 2009). "Merkel verliert ihren Lieblingssozi" [Merkel loses favorite socialist]. Die Tageszeitung. p. 6. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  13. ↑ Schumacher, Hajo (September 13, 2009). "Das System Steinmeier" [The Steinmeier System]. Berliner Morgenpost. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Sturm, Daniel Friedrich (23 March 2017). "Der Mann hinter der Nummer eins" [The man behind number one]. Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 6 September 2026.
  15. ↑ Monath, Hans (February 12, 2014). "Im Auswärtigen Amt: Staatssekretäre mit Mission" [In the Foreign Office: State Secretaries with a mission]. Der Tagesspiegel. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  16. ↑ Daniel, F. S. (January 13, 2014). ""2014 konnte das entscheidende Jahr fur eine ganze Region werden"" ["2014 could be the decisive year for an entire region"]. Die Welt. p. 8. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  17. ↑ Daniel, F. S. (March 2, 2014). "Back on the floor". Welt am Sonntag. p. 4. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  18. ↑ "US spying row: Germany investigates new case". BBC News. July 9, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Germany urges answers from US over reports NSA spied on foreign minister". The Straits Times. July 22, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  20. ↑ Sattar, Majid (January 18, 2017). "Steinmeiers Transformation" [Steinmeier's transformation]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Gabriel übernimmt Leitung des Auswärtigen Amts" [Gabriel takes over leadership of the Foreign Office]. AFP International Text Wire (in German). 27 January 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
  22. ↑ Sturm, Daniel Friedrich (February 14, 2017). "Im Auswärtigen Amt wird künftig mehr gelacht" [In the Foreign Office there is now more to laugh about]. Welt Kompakt. p. 5. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Amtsübergabe im Schloss Bellevue: Gauck trifft Steinmeier" [Handover of office at Bellevue Palace: Gauck meets Steinmeier]. Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). dpa. 19 March 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
  24. ↑ "Präsident seit Mitternacht: Steinmeier im Schoss Bellevue" [President since midnight: Steinmeier in Bellevue Palace]. SWI swissinfo.ch. Keystone-SDA. March 19, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  25. ↑ Représentation de la France auprès de l'Union européenne (13 January 2022). "Allemagne – Déplacement de M. Clément Beaune à Berlin (12-13 janvier 2022)" (in French). Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  26. ↑ Geyer, Steven (February 22, 2022). "Viel Kontinuität, ein wenig Wandel: Steinmeier setzt erstmals Frau an Präsidialamtsspitze" [A lot of continuity, a little change: Steinmeier puts a woman at the top of the Presidential Office for the first time]. RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Ambassador Stephan Steinlein". German missions in France - Federal Foreign Office. August 7, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Change of diplomat: Steinlein becomes new ambassador in Paris". Europe.Table. Table.Media. April 19, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  29. 1 2 Wiegel, Michaela (July 31, 2023). "Der erste Frankreich-Botschafter mit DDR-Erfahrung" [The first ambassador to France with GDR experience]. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Steinlein wird Botschafter in Frankreich" [Steinlein becomes ambassador to France]. politik&kommunikation. August 7, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Stephan Steinlein ist neuer deutscher Botschafter in Frankreich" [Stephan Steinlein is the new German ambassador to France]. Münchner Merkur. August 7, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  32. ↑ Lynch, Suzanne (August 2, 2023). "Why Saudi-hosted peace talks matter for Ukraine". Politico. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Steinlein tritt Amt als deutscher Botschafter in Frankreich an" [Steinlein takes up post as German ambassador to France]. ntv. AFP. August 7, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  34. ↑ "Stephan STEINLEIN". Les Rencontres Économiques d'Aix-en-Provence. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Remise de lettres de créance" [Presentation of credentials]. Journal officiel de la République française. September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  36. ↑ "German International Club welcomes new German Ambassador to Monaco". NEWS.MC. April 14, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
  37. ↑ Horsman, Stephanie (April 15, 2024). "Monaco welcomes new ambassadors from Turkey, Germany, Malta and the EU". Monaco Life. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
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